The Pressure-Stress Balancing Act and how to manage it

Have you ever found yourself wondering how you suddenly became so stressed when only recently you were enjoying high performance? What causes stress and what small things can we do each and every day to keep our balance? 

Pressure versus Stress

When we are subject to an external event or a demand on us, we interpret that event and have a perception of it. If our perception is that we are under moderate pressure it is possible that we may feel good about this and that it leads to peak performance. We all need SOME pressure to help us perform. Without it we can be bored which is unhealthy. Too much pressure however can result in unhelpful feelings such as anxiety resulting in physical or psychological stress symptoms.

Stress has been defined as “a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.” [Professor Richard Lazarus].

As such, in the workplace, we can better manage feelings of stress by firstly recognising the symptoms (see this helpful list) and then calling on our personal and social resources, or increasing them if necessary, in order to overcome the stressor and maintain our balance.

Ways in which we can tackle our causes and feelings of stress:

Spend energy wisely – consider where you have control, where you don’t have full control but have influence, and where you have neither control nor influence. While it is worth spending energy on the things you have control over and seeing what you can influence to reduce stress, time spent where you have neither just uses up energy and mental resources without benefit.

For workload stressors – consider where you could increase your personal resources through better workload or time management. Use this short self-test quiz to determine where to focus your efforts. Consider some of the following to help you depending on your results:

1. Attention Management – according to Graham Allcott ‘Stress is reduced by clarity; clarity is increased by attention.’ Attention is an even more limited resource than our time – we need to recognise that we are all different and that our ability to focus and be productive varies across the day, often with predictable consistency. I know that I can give my best attention (what Allcott calls proactive attention) first thing in the day from about 08.30 until 11am. This is the time for me to focus on anything that requires original thought (including writing this blog!) As such, I aim to avoid scheduling meetings in that time period, keeping it for my important, non urgent work. Why not map out your attention across the day to see how you might better use it?
2. BANJO – no I’m not suggesting you take up a musical instrument but instead remember this useful acronym that I picked up from Roger Black’s book when I was a student – it has stood me in good stead ever since! BANJO stands for ‘Bang a nasty job off’ or in other words, if you have something you are putting off because it seems too difficult or too big, make it the first thing you tackle even if only for 30 minutes. Not only does this enable you to feel better that you’ve got something done that would otherwise sit on your to-do list but often, in starting to tackle something daunting it loses its power and you recognise that it is not as hard as you first thought.

For stressors relating to relationships – very few of us are able to fulfil our responsibilities at work without interacting with others. When those interactions are strained this can result in a feeling of stress. Tackling relationship issues can seem daunting and yet boosting our social resources can be critical to restoring pressure to a healthy, motivational level.

Here are some tips to support you:

1. Have courage – tackle a crucial conversation. If you are avoiding someone, the likelihood is that you need to talk with them. To avoid the fight or flight response that means you are likely to either remain tongue tied or go into the offensive, prepare for that conversation. Consider what you want for you, for the other person and for the relationship and how you will tentatively share how you see the situation before asking the other person for their view.
2. Proactively build relationships to avoid issues – see my previous blog which explains how to connect, make it win-win, think person not process, and measure relationship rather than transaction.
3. Determine your circle of support and actively use it. Ask yourself who you would turn to if you want someone who will help you look at a situation objectively or see the bright side of a situation, or help you understand the bigger picture, listen to you, or just cheer you up.

In summary, pressure can be good for us until our personal and social resources are not sufficient to help us manage it. When this happens, we can reduce stress through spending our energy wisely and through tackling both workload stressors and relationship stressors. What can you do this coming week to maintain your balance on the pressure versus stress tightrope?